Clean and Simple Beach Themed Card with CutCardStock

Summer is the perfect time to create bright, cheerful handmade cards, and sometimes the best inspiration comes from leftover cardstock! Hi, it’s Rick, back with you and today I’m sharing how I turned a leftover die-cut strip into the starting point for a clean and simple beach-themed card. By combining textured and smooth cardstock from CutCardStock, a little ink blending, and layered die cuts, you can create a card with beautiful depth while making the most of every scrap.

This finished card measures 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ (A2) and is a fun project for beginners while still offering plenty of creative techniques that more experienced cardmakers will enjoy.

CutCardStock Products Used

For this project, I used a combination of smooth and textured cardstock to add visual interest and dimension.

• Pop Tone Banana Split Cardstock
• Pop Tone Gum Drop Cardstock
• Pop Tone Hot Fudge Cardstock
• DCS Discount Card Stocks Seafoam Green Textured Cardstock
• DCS Discount Card Stocks Yellow Jacket Textured Cardstock
• DCS Discount Card Stocks Sand Castle Tan Cardstock
• Premium Cougar WHITE 110 lbs Cardstock

I chose both textured and smooth cardstock because the combination creates subtle contrast that makes the die-cut pieces stand out without adding bulk.

Create the Card Base

Begin by trimming the DCS Discount Card Stocks Seafoam Green Textured Cardstock to 3-3/4″ x 5″. Mat it onto a piece of DCS Discount Card Stocks Sand Castle Tan Cardstock cut to 4″ x 5-1/4″.

Next, attach a leftover strip of Pop Tone Gum Drop Cardstock across the lower portion of the panel. This strip is actually the negative piece left behind after die cutting tropical leaves for another project. Instead of throwing it away, I used it as a decorative border, proving that leftover die cuts can become beautiful design elements.

Creative Tip: Save your negative die-cut pieces. They often make unique borders, windows, or backgrounds that add interest while reducing waste.

Die Cut and Ink Blend the Elements

Die cut the sand, beach basket, and umbrella pole from DCS Discount Card Stocks Sand Castle Tan Cardstock.

Cut the basket insert from Pop Tone Hot Fudge Cardstock.

Die cut the umbrella canopy and sentiment circle using Pop Tone Banana Split Cardstock and DCS Discount Card Stocks Yellow Jacket Textured Cardstock.

To create extra depth, lightly blend light brown ink around the edges of the sand and basket pieces. Then blend yellow ink around the yellow die-cut pieces and the sentiment circle. This simple step adds soft shadows and helps each element stand out against the clean background.

Stamp the sentiment in the center of the yellow circle using black ink.

Assemble the Beach Scene

Assemble the umbrella and beach basket before attaching everything to the lower right corner of the card.

Use liquid adhesive for the larger pieces and foam squares behind selected elements to create dimension. The combination of flat and raised pieces gives the scene more depth without making the card overly bulky.

Finally, adhere the sentiment circle so it overlaps the beach scene and balances the overall layout.

Finish the Card

Attach the completed panel to an A2 card base made from Premium Cougar WHITE 110 lbs Cardstock.

Finish the design by adding a few blue dazzles in the upper left corner for a pop of sparkle. Then use a white gel pen to add subtle highlights to the die-cut pieces, bringing even more life to the beach accessories.

The finished design is clean and simple, yet the layered cardstock, ink-blended edges, and dimensional assembly make it visually interesting from every angle.

Final Thoughts

One of my favorite parts of this project is finding a creative use for something that might otherwise have ended up in the scrap bin. That leftover die-cut strip became an eye-catching design feature and inspired the entire card. It’s a great reminder that a little creativity can stretch your supplies while creating unique handmade cards.

If you give this clean and simple beach-themed card a try, I’d love to hear how you use leftover die-cut pieces in your own projects. Be sure to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to save this idea for your next summer cardmaking session!